Adalbert of Saxony (8 May 1467 in

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...

– 1 May 1484 in

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative seat. Aschaffenburg belonged to the Archbishopric ...

) was administrator of the

Archdiocese of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...

as ''Adalbart III''. Adalbert was the son of Elector

Ernest of Saxony Ernest (24 March 144126 August 1486) was Elector of Saxony from 1464 to 1486. Ernst was the founder and progenitor of the ''Ernestine line'' of Saxon princes. Biography Ernst was born in Meissen, the second son (but fourth in order of birth) ...

and his wife Elisabeth of Bavaria-Munich. In order to protect the Thuringian areas of the

around

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

and in the

Eichsfeld The Eichsfeld ( or ; English: ''Oak-field'') is a historical region in the southeast of the state of Lower Saxony (which is called "Untereichsfeld" = lower Eichsfeld) and northwest of the state of Thuringia ("Obereichsfeld" = upper Eichsfeld) in th ...

area, archbishop

Diether von Isenburg Diether von Isenburg ( 14127 May 1482) was twice Archbishop (1459–1461 and 1475–1482) and founder of the University of Mainz. As Archbishop of Mainz, he was ''ex officio'' Elector and Lord Chancellor of Germany. Biography Diether was a son ...

and the

cathedral chapter According to both Catholic and Anglican canon law, a cathedral chapter is a college of clerics ( chapter) formed to advise a bishop and, in the case of a vacancy of the episcopal see in some countries, to govern the diocese during the vacancy. In ...

of Mainz appointed Aldalbert, who was still a minor, in 1477 as Provisor of the city of Erfurt and High Bailiff of Rusteberg Castle in

Rustenfelde Rustenfelde is a municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Thuringia, Germany. It is part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft Hanstein-Rusteberg Hanstein-Rusteberg is a ''Verwaltungsgemeinschaft'' ("collective municipality") in the district Eichsfe ...

in the Eichsfeld. In 1479, Adalbert was made a member of the cathedral chapter in Mainz. In 1480, he was elected

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

with the right to succeed as archbishop. This election result was confirmed by Pope

Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV ( it, Sisto IV: 21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 to his death in August 1484. His accomplishments as pope include ...

in 1481, despite the Pope's reservations. After Dieter died, Adalbert succeeded him as ruler of the Archbishopric of Mainz on 8 May 1482. Since he was too young to be ordained as bishop, he became administrator. In 1483, he demanded that the city of Erfurt recognize the suzerainty of Mainz over the city. The archbishop's residence,

Martinsburg Castle The Martinsburg is a former plains castle in Mainz. She lay on the banks of the Rhine right next to the space on which now stands the Electoral Palace. History The castle was built from 1478 to 1481 at the instigation of Diether von Isenburg. ...

in Mainz, was completed during Adalbert's reign. Adalbart died in 1484, before he could be ordained as bishop, so he was never archbishop. He is therefore depicted without

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...

and

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

. Adalbert was unmarried. However, he had an illegitimate daughter named Sybilla.

References

* 15th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the Holy Roman Empire Archbishop-Electors of Mainz House of Wettin 1467 births 1484 deaths 15th-century German people Sons of monarchs {{Germany-noble-stub